# S5E33 Devon Copeland | Working for Apple & Tesla, Building a Better MFG Execution System (MES)

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2024-08-16
- Length: 45m
- Episode: 33
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/devon-copeland-working-for-apple/

## Summary

Devon Copeland, Co-founder and CTO of Serial, discusses his journey from student solar car competitions to engineering roles at Apple and Tesla, and his current work building a traceability-first Manufacturing Execution System (MES). He explains how Serial’s Grid Builder and Graph Builder tools help manufacturers aggregate sub-assembly data to perform commonality analysis and root cause failure analysis. Copeland emphasizes that engineering decision-making is an art and science, advocating for side projects and visual storytelling to accelerate engineering speed and career growth.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=0) Introduction: Devon Copeland and Serial
- [1:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=91) Childhood Inspiration and the Popsicle Bridge Competition
- [4:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=273) University of Waterloo Solar Car Team and Communication Challenges
- [8:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=515) Engineering Decision Making at Apple and Tesla
- [15:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=942) The Value of Side Projects and Web Development
- [20:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=1229) Serial’s Traceability-First MES and Digital Twins
- [28:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=1710) Solving Data Disparity and Genealogy in Manufacturing
- [35:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=2157) Startup Challenges: Getting the Word Out and Marketing
- [38:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=2289) Serial’s Grid Builder and Graph Builder for Data Analysis
- [41:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-08-16-s5e33-devon-copeland-working-for-apple-tesla-building-a-better-mfg-execution-sys#t=2509) Accelerating Engineering Speed at Serial

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Serial (company)
- Apple (company)
- Tesla (company)
- Aeryon Labs (company)
- Apple Watch Ultra (product)
- Tesla Model 3 (product)
- Midnight Sun Solar Car (product)
- American Solar Challenge (other)
- University of Waterloo (other)
- JIRA (tool)
- Confluence (tool)
- HipChat (tool)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- The Wave (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [A Digital Backbone for Factories of the Future w/ Ryan Kuhlenbeck](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-10-10-a-digital-backbone-for-factories-of-the-future-w-ryan-kuhlenbeck) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [An Interview with Chrissy Meyer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-04-08-an-interview-with-chrissy-meyer) (The Amp Hour)
- [A First-Generation Product Master Class with Milo Werner, Recorded LIVE at "Build Better 2022" (hosted by Instrumental Inc.)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2022-04-05-a-first-generation-product-master-class-with-milo-werner-recorded-live-at-build) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [What Happens When Every Action Becomes A Data Point: EMS@C-Level with FermionX MD Will Patrick](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2025-10-29-what-happens-when-every-action-becomes-a-data-point-ems-c-level-with-fermionx-md) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [T-25-009 : Sera Evcimen - Mechanical Engineer to Host of The Builder Circle™ Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-10-08-t-25-009-sera-evcimen-mechanical-engineer-to-host-of-the-builder-circletm-podcas) (TRADEOFFS)

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